Pemco ALCO C-430 Tune-Up and Review

[@SMTMainline]

Excellent review! I had seen some comments mentioning the lore of Pemco being created by disgruntled TYCO employees but I wasn't aware until now that they copied designs from more than just Tyco. One of the stories I heard was that designers at tyco were frustrated having to turn a well scaled, nicely detailed Pennline GG1 model into a scaled down, bastardized version of its self to fit in with the power torque line up. If they are still around, I wonder if anyone who witnessed what happened at tyco first hand would be willing to share the stories in detail.

[@DarthSantaFe]

Thanks! I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the model designers were frustrated with Tyco’s choices. They could have easily still used the PT drive in the GG-1 with a proper 4-truck setup.

[@SMTMainline]

@@DarthSantaFe That's what I never understood. If they already had 4 and 6 wheel trucks and the tender driven locomotives already used a block which a draw bar could be connected to why wouldn't they do so. The only thing I can figure is that the cost was prohibitive or they were worried it would be too delicate.

[@DarthSantaFe]

@@SMTMainline Or maybe it worked too well that way and they were afraid people would start to respect them. :)

[@SMTMainline]

@@DarthSantaFe Bahaha “Oh no, we accidentally made something close to realistic” 😂

[@MygrandpasTrain]

My uncle had one like that, different road name though. It ran pretty good, but was dripping with oil. I took it apart to clean and the motor cover exploded, but when i figured out that there's a factory hole on the left side, I glued it together and it ran fine. Not a bad little engine. It does resemble a slightly nicer TYCO.

[@SantaFeBob]

Very interesting history on this engine and company. Thank you for sharing.

[@JerseyBill-x9r]

I did not know Pemco existed till this review. I added them to my list of model train companies and now list 281. Great service, review, and video, Jersey Bill

[@czwij]

wow. just two days ago I finished servicing this model - CP roadname, have had it 30 years in a box. Runs well, I like it....for a diesel. BTW your trans fluid lubrication I have adopted fully. It's excellent and cheap. Many thanks for that

[@footienz]

Nice reveiw, I have a couple of Pemco 50 foot boxcars on my layout and they are quite nice models.

[@w.rustylane5650]

I had a hard time removing talgo truck couplers from Tyco engines (specifically a GP-38-2) and body mounting Kadee couplers. It required a lot of shims to get the draft boxes at the right height. I also stripped the paint off of 2 of them and repainted and decaled for the Norfolk Southern. I also added the snow plows to each of the ends as the type NS runs on their GP038-2's. I make it a purpose now to never purchase an engine that has to be converted. I just recently picked up my second brass diesel engine, a Baldwin VO-1000 which I'll repaint for the Central of Georgia. Cheers from eastern TN

[@Tom-xe9iq]

Although an interesting journey and test, I don't think I will venture into Pemco-land. Thanks for sharing!

[@kge420]

I remember wanting a GG-1 from them but being a young father of 2 with a newly purchased home extra expenses were out of the question.

[@DarthSantaFe]

I’d say you made the better decision in the long run. :) The later IHC version with 2 motors is the best one anyway, but you can find the Pemco ones for not too much if you ever want to get one.

[@kge420]

@@DarthSantaFe Still live in the same house and have the basement all to myself. Trains are up and running.

[@randydobson1863]

Hi Darth Santa FE & it's is Randy and i like yours video is Cool &Thanks Darth Santa & Friends Randy

[@ArcadiaJunctionHobbies]

The Lima Pancake motor is a fantastic piece of engineering. Many thousands are still running world wide for going on half a century now. So when Pemco copied it they plagerised something excellent so the running quality is not surprising.

[@DarthSantaFe]

@@ArcadiaJunctionHobbies I have a Lima passenger set with an older pancake motor drive, and it’s a great runner! Lima’s motor is better quality, but Pemco’s at least isn’t bad for a cheaper copy.

[@elythomaslumber]

Thanks a lot again! Never heard about this company. I found a picture of the prototype locomotive with the number 8731 dated 2010. Here it was U36C... 🙂 I don't know if SF does a renumbering if an old engine was scrabed. Also I found a model from AHM(?) whis the same number but as an ALCO C-628... So... hmmm pure phantasy?

[@DarthSantaFe]

Made up numbers were common back then! Like with the Tyco C-630, all were numbered 1102 for every railroad, and yet the never painted them for N&W, the only real life owner of the high hood version!

[@Benthetrainkid]

You forgot to mention the 2-6-0's tender drive was copied from Tyco's 2-8-0/0-8-0 Tender Drive locomotive; and Pemco's motor design could also have taken some basis from Lima/Hornby's Ringfield Motor

[@DarthSantaFe]

I did notice the design looks a lot like Lima's motor trucks. I suspected the tender drive was also based on the Tyco Chattanooga drive, and the 4-8-2 power truck was likely more like the regular diesel truck.

[@scottkintzing2514]

Hi, really enjoy your content, have another question regarding an Bowser mountain m1a that I am building. I’m doing some break in on a stand and notice a fair amount of ‘wobble” which I’ve seen with some of your builds also. I’m wondering if this is a quartering issue or something else? Seems like the wheels are not perfectly square to the axles also. Any thoughts about making it run smoother would be greatly appreciated. Perhaps some of your other viewers may have some ideas? Scott

[@DarthSantaFe]

I've found the wobble more often than not comes from wheels that aren't fully centered, which is the case with my 4-8-2. The easiest way to fix that is to replace the wheels if you can find some to fit the model, whether they're original Bowser parts or alternatives from someone like Greenway. The other method is to pull the wheel, fill the center, then redrill it on a good lathe, but that's only possible if you have those tools on hand.

[@scottkintzing2514]

@@DarthSantaFe Thank you for replying so quickly. Where would I find “greenway”?

[@scottkintzing2514]

@@DarthSantaFe Thanks again, I was able to find greenway products.. may need to call them to source the proper wheel sets.. Scott

[@DarthSantaFe]

@@scottkintzing2514 You’re welcome! Their wheels are expensive since they’re mostly for brass models, but they’re top quality products.

[@scottkintzing2514]

@@DarthSantaFe Hi again, wondering if you can give me a lead for the drive rod screws that connect wheels to drive rods? Thank aging for the help..

[@a2020vision_official]

I know it's not the biggest thing but having Philips head screws instead of flathead is a pretty big upgrade from my perspective. It's often a struggle to keep the flathead drivers centered, and while Philips can be easy to strip out it's at least ubiquitous and not too picky about getting exactly the right size bit if you don't need too much torque (unlike, say, Torx).

[@michaelquinones-lx6ks]

I had no idea that ''PEMCO'' was founded by former TYCO employees who knew?

[@donttreadonmetal5073]

Quick question: I bought a dummy Athearn blue box NYC Pa-1 and want to swap the back coupler for a knuckle. What would be the best way to get the cover plate off without damaging the tabs?

[@DarthSantaFe]

@@donttreadonmetal5073 I’d pry the edge of the metal cover until it slides over the tab, and then it’ll drop off after that. If the cover bends, it’s easy enough to straighten with some pliers before snapping it back on.

[@donttreadonmetal5073]

@@DarthSantaFe what should I use as a prying tool?

[@DarthSantaFe]

@@donttreadonmetal5073 A small flat blade screwdriver or something similar will work. These parts are pretty durable, so you don’t really need to be too careful with prying the cover.

[@legojack-c3l]

That 4-8-2 mountain looks an awful lot like my Mehano or IHC mountain, but maybe mehano just inherited it.

[@DarthSantaFe]

Yup, that one came from Pemco. They also used the shell for the 4-6-4 and 2-10-2.

[@solarisplaza]

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[@johnparker7874]

They were not going to go far with out a 4 or 6 axle drive, and all wheel pickup.. The power torque motors had a short life span, and if the motor is cheap, it doesn't matter how good the body shell is.

[@DarthSantaFe]

A bad chassis will kill off a good model eventually. A single truck drive can be great if engineered properly though. Marklin did it this way up until a few years ago, and those were faultless runners (I think the ALCO PA-1 was one of the last).

[@ROBERTNABORNEY]

ATSf HAD NO C-430'S